You bake this oatmeal raspberry dish in the oven. / CARLOS ORTIZ//staff photographer

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Since the Recipe of the Week column is getting a health upgrade in 2013, we thought we’d start the year with the meal that starts the day: breakfast.

Just about every nutrition advocate of any stripe can agree that skipping breakfast is bad, and eating a healthy breakfast is good. A healthy, well balanced breakfast will fuel you up for the day and keep your metabolism on a steady roll.

This baked oatmeal casserole has a lot going for it. Lots of whole grain oats, fresh fruit, a bit of egg and just a touch of maple syrup and cinnamon to sweeten it up.

Most of us think of oatmeal as a top-of-the-stove dish. Baking it in the oven is in many ways a time-saver. I like to mix it the night before and keep it in the refrigerator then put it in the oven before I hop in the shower. By the time I’m clean and dressed, breakfast is ready.

For smaller households, cut the recipe in half. Better yet, bake each serving in an oven-proof ramekin and you don’t have to dirty as many dishes.

The Whole Grains Council offers a lot of research-backed reasons for Americans of any age to eat oats.

• Oats help lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure and may help reduce the risk of heart disease.

• The same soluble fiber that helps lower bad cholesterol may help reduce risk of type 2 diabetes by controlling blood sugar levels.

• Oats are high in beta-glucans, a kind of starch that stimulates the immune system and inhibits tumors. This may help reduce your risk of some cancers.

• Early introduction of oats in children’s diets may help reduce their risk of asthma.

• Oats are higher in protein and healthy fats, and lower in carbohydrates than most other whole grains. They help you feel fuller longer so you don’t overeat.

• Oats contain more than 20 unique polyphenols called avenanthramides, which have strong anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-itching activity.

Baked Oatmeal with Raspberries

The original recipe called for 2 teaspoons salt, which made each serving a whopping 880 milligrams of sodium and tasted too salty. The second time around I skipped the salt altogether and found I didn’t miss it at all. So add salt to your taste. The nutritional information is calculated without any added salt.

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Feel free to use 1 percent milk or soy milk, if you are trying to reduce fat further or avoid dairy in your diet.

From The Lahey Guide to Cooking Through Cancer (The Countryman Press, $24.95) from the Lahey Clinic Sophia Gordon Cancer Center.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, syrup, salt and cinnamon and blend. Stir in the oats. The mixture will be pretty wet, but don’t worry.

Pour into prepared baking dish. Press raspberries evenly into the surface of the mixture to completely submerge them. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until oatmeal is browned and does not jiggle when the pan is gently shaken. Serve immediately.